Spellbound
Spellbound is episode seventeen in season five of Full House. It originally aired on January 28, 1992. Opening Teaser D.J. begins to read " " to Michelle for her bedtime story, but Michelle constantly interrupts her. D.J. figures out that Michelle's plan is to ask a question after every sentence so that it will take longer to read the story, and thus she can stay up longer. Synopsis Stephanie has won a class spelling bee at school, and she is now in the finals for best speller in the fourth grade. At the finals, the school spelling bee ends up narrowed down to two students – Stephanie and the "Human Dictionary" Davey Chu. Meanwhile, Stephanie's success in spelling makes Michelle want to learn how to read, as Danny and D.J. teach her such; Danny suggesting she do more than just memorize from books; D.J. teaching about both long and short letter sounds in words, even silent letters to boot, and not just how to say the letters themselves as if words were spelled. However, Danny's system seems to be that of the spring-cleaning that he really loves, and D.J.'s strategy also fails as Michelle still doesn't understand silent letters. A struggling Michelle does her best to stay positive, but just when she is ready to quit, Jesse comes up with the perfect way to build up her confidence. Also, Joey needs a piece of music to introduce cartoons on The Ranger Joe Show, and he talks Jesse into trying to write the piece of music that the show needs. At the school bee, Stephanie is severely disappointed when Davey wins and even more disappointed about her elimination (see Quotes). Down but not out, she challenges him to an intensely personal rematch, one on one, this time in the Tanner house, with Danny being the judge. Once again, Davey wins, and Stephanie becomes even angrier until Danny tells her that even if she loses at things sometimes, he is still proud of her for putting forth her best effort. However, he's still angry at her for taking the loss personally rather than seriously, calling her what she really is: a sore loser (for not congratulating Davey, both at the bee and at home). He asks her why she's angry, and she says she's not angry at Davey for winning, but at herself for losing. She says she just wanted to be the best, and he tells her that she is the best—not just in school, but at home. He reminds her (as the inspirational music plays) that it is important to be a good loser as it is to be a good winner, as she's always a winner in his heart. He also reminds her to be proud of her accomplishments, regardless of the outcome. They hug each other (as the studio audience applauds and the EP credits appear). Quotes Judge: Stephanie's return to the stage Stephanie, sweetheart, you've already been eliminated. Stephanie: she's taken off the stage by the guys Eliminated. E-L-I-M-I-N-A-T-E-D. Eliminated. ---- has successfully spelled 'Sarsaparilla', but something puzzles Stephanie. Stephanie: Now there's a silent 'R'? I hate this language! storms out of the living room and into the kitchen. Trivia This episode is part of the basis for the Full House book, Kiss a Frog, Princess. Category:Season 5 Category:Episodes